Beautiful, world-renowned historic attractions like the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Summer Palace attract tourists to Beijing every year. These should be on your list of must-see places in Beijing, but after you've checked those off, there are still many more spots to put on your list. This 24-hour guide to Beijing includes some of the known tourist attractions, but allows you to see a side of the city that you might have not found before. To make a complete day, possibly without sleep, here are several restaurants, three markets, two historical sites, parks, and a spa to relax at the end of a busy day in China's capital city.

How to: See Beijing in 24 hours

8 a.m. to 10 a.m. -- Temple of Heaven

The Temple of Heaven, a well-known attraction, is a wonderful example of Chinese architecture and is the largest complex of ancient sacrificial buildings. The Ming and Qing emperors would make offerings here in hopes of a good harvest. The temple is most recognizable by its splendid, blue-roofed wooden tower. It is located in the southeastern part of Beijing, and is a great location to go to in the morning. You can find many people out practicing Taiji, playing cards, or singing songs in front of the temple which creates a unique atmosphere from other attractions. You can also find many cypress trees surrounding the temple and some are more than 600 years old. With its soothing atmosphere and beautiful colors, the Temple of Heaven should be at the top of your list of things to do in Beijing.

The Hongqiao Pearl Market, located just east of the Temple of Heaven, is a great place to look for ocean and freshwater pearls. This five-story building offers more than just pearls, and the many vendors can be intimidating at first. They can offer you anything from tea, silk, toys, shoes, purses, souvenirs, and jewelry. The first floor contains more digital goods, such as watches, clocks, ipods and accessories, and adapters. The second floor offers clothes, shoes and bags. When moving to the third floor you will find jade works, pearls, tea sets, and other souvenirs. The fourth and fifth floor consists of higher end jewelry that's more expensive than the jewelry found on the third, but tends to be more authentic.

Tips:

Time needed: 1.5 hours

Remember you can bargain for everything, even if it is only a tenth of the first asking price.

Entry Fee: Free

Opening Hours: Daily 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Directions: Subway Line 5 to Tiantan Dongmen and take exit A. The market will be found on your right.

12 p.m to 1 p.m. -- Liulichang (Antiques Street)
The Antiques Street is well known for its collection of ancient books, calligraphy, paintings, rubbings, ink and ink stones. There are also shops for paper, scroll-mounting, book-binding, and the stone-carving templates. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, many scholars gathered at Liulichang to write and compile books. It became well known as a place to discuss culture and write poetry. The street was refurbished in the 1980s to become more pedestrian-friendly and is now a well-recognized antique market.

If you are interested in taking a step out of the hustle and bustle of the city, try Dali Courtyard. It is a great place to have tea, enjoy wonderful food and experience the ambiance of a quaint restaurant, even if you have limited time. All of the ingredients for their specialty dishes are flown in from the Yunnan province.

Directions: It can be found on the north side of Gu Lou Dong Da Jie (Drum Tower East Avenue in English). From the entrance of Xiao Jing Chang Hu Tong, walk north for about 200 meters until you see a small red lantern and the sign marking the front door.

3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. -- Lama Temple
The Yonghe Temple, also known as “Lama Temple,” is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. The temple was built to house the Kangxi Emperor's son. Once his son became Emperor, it was converted into a monastery for the Tibetan Buddhist monks. The history of this building has led to a mixed theme of Han and Tibetian architecture and artwork. The temple is still active, so walk through and smell incense burning, and see people worshiping along with monks. The statues are memorable, and the visit will be well worth your time.

The bell and drum towers, located a little west of the Lama Temple, are a huge part of Beijing's history. The towers were originally used for music and later used during the Han Dynasty to tell time. There would be a morning bell and an evening drum to help people of Beijing, who had no other way to tell time, keep a regular day. This idea was then implemented in other cities around China; however, Beijing has the largest and the tallest bell and drum towers. This way of telling time was abolished after the last emperor left the Forbidden City but was revived in 2001 on New Year's Eve. Now the bells ring and the drums are beaten for fifteen minutes four times a day, starting at 9:30 a.m. The performance consists of folk traditions like the lion and dragon dance.

Tips:

Time needed: 1 hour

Entry Fee: 15 yuan (Bell Tower), 20 yuan (Drum Tower)

Operating Hours: 9:10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Directions: Take Subway Line 2 and get off at Guloudajie Station, take Exit B (southwest exit), and walk South.

During the evening, the restaurants on QianHai Lake come alive with lights, lanterns, and live music. The light bounces off the lake, creating an ambiance you will not want to leave. There are so many well-decorated and inviting restaurants to choose from for dinner. You can sit out on the patio facing the lake or inside and to better enjoy live music. Vendors with street food and souvenirs can be found further down the lake. There are couples having dance lessons by the dock, and around the corner are groups of students playing different games.

Tips:

Time needed: 1 hour

Entry Fee: Free

Operating hours: Varies with venue

Directions：Take either Line 6 or 8 to Di'AnMen. Follow DianMen Avenue up to the Drum Tower or simply keep to the righthand banksof the Lakes and find your way along the route from Qianhai's Lotus Lane to Jinding Bridge